Thermo-mechanics of undamaged and damaged multilayered composite plates: assessment of the FEM sub-laminates approach

Based on a previously developed higher-order plate theory and on the relative plate mixed finite element, a FEM approach based on the sub-laminates concept is proposed. A large number of numerical examples are presented and discussed in order to assess deeply the capabilities of the proposed approach to solve some non-classical problems. At first, it is shown the possibility to model plates subjected to tangential loads distributed on the top and bottom faces of the laminate. Moreover, the proposed sub-laminate strategy is particularly suitable for describing the effects of damaged interfaces, also in case of severe levels of delamination; particular attention is dedicated to explain the damage modelling strategy and its numerical implications. Finally, it is possible to study the effects of prescribed temperature distributions on the static response of multilayered composite plates.